5 ways to take full advantage of LATISM’11

We’re only three days away from LATISM’11 and the level of excitement is going through the roof! I invite you to go over the final agenda to witness how fortunate we are. I am humbled by all the top leaders who have agreed to share their knowledge with our LATISM community.

Now! How do you take advantage of LATISM’11? Here are five ideas:

1) Set a clear goal: And by clear I mean a concious decision to make something big happen during those three days. If you know well in advance what that goal will be, it will become easier for you to make a strategy and make it happen.

2) Plan carefully: By now you know all the business/political/media leaders who will be participating. You also know the brands and organizations that will be officially there (plus I can tell you that all the brands that genuinely care about the Latino community will be attending). So if one of your goals is to meet a speaker/sponsor/attendee, please make sure you plan your accordingly. Go to their panel or their booth to find them. Plan your pitch and make sure you have something to leave (business cards are still hot believer or not). Do some homework and learn a little about their current activities and interest. You certainly want to make a great first impression.

3) Be there: How often have you gone to a conference (as a speaker or as a participant) and you end up spending most of the time working in your hotel room or hanging out with friends? I know I’m guilty of that sometimes. If you are really serious about your goal, then you must be there. Participate in the panels, tweet, network, make those real connections. You will see a huge difference immediately.

4) Engage actively: I don’t know about you, but I must admit that Twitter is turning me into an total antisocial sometimes. However, despite the fact that I enjoy cyberlandia way too much, I often make an extra effort to turn everything down and engage with real people in front of me. Those are the best connections. And that is the main reason why we start the cyber conversation. So we can get to the final hug (which must lead to some serious business).

5) Follow up: This is the hardest part. We all leave conferences with great intentions to stay in touch, to send a proposal, to send more information and so forth. However only 5% of us end up doing it. I made a concious decision to follow up since July this year. Boy do I see a difference!

For those of you who will be following the conference online. You can also put these 5 ideas into action. All the panels will be live streamed. We will have a Google+ circle for every panel. So if you are interested in a particular panel, please ask the panel leader to add you to the circle. Bring the conversation to the next level and make things happen.

My #6 would probably be to add your “personal touch” to everything you do. What’s your “thing”? Crafty biz cards, an engaging personality, your sense of humor, or a simple gesture? I think people remember people who are distinctive for some reason or other. Find that “it” factor and use it to your advantage!

I agree with all of these points, especially #4. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve spent many a conference still getting “acquainted” with the schedule, out in the hallways looking frantically for the workshop I’m supposed to attend. I vow to plan better this time! 😉

Cherylaguilaravila7 years ago

My number #6 is: following the #latism’11 conference go back to your communities and pay it forward by teaching others who were not able to make it the skills and lessons you learned.

A Wepa to you Laurita! great point. Adding your own secret to the sazón is what makes you stand from the competition. Boy you have that personal touch mastered already! look at what you’ve been able to do already. I can only imagine the success that awaits you. Break a leg hermanita querida.

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About LATISM

Latinos in Tech Innovation & Social Media is a non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Latino community in the areas of education, health, technology and business through the use of Tech Innovation and Social Media.

About us

Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media (LATISM) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the social, civic and economic status of the Latino community through technology innovation and social media. Since its inception in 2009, it has grown organically to more than 190,000 members with 22 chapters around the country.LATISM actively engages in digital communities to ensure that online discourse more accurately reflects the rich diversity of thought, heritage, and culture in our changing society. Our mission is to empower the Latino community in the areas of Education, Health, Technology and Business through the use of tech innovation and social media. We help Latinos adopt and make full use of online social networks and applications by providing capacity-building opportunities, information, resources and networking platforms. LATISM researches and analyzes Latino use of online social networks to inform decision-making by businesses, nonprofits, policymakers and others seeking to reach or mobilize Latinos.Whether in the virtual world or in their physical communities, LATISM members are thought leaders and opinion makers, grassroots advocates, policymakers, communications and marketing experts, corporate executives, and successful entrepreneurs.LATISM has been hailed to be the most powerful and influential network of Latinos/as involved in social media. The #LATISM hashtag which generates millions of impressions daily is used by politicians, businesses and organizations to reach the latino community..